


handle with care

by stuckonylove



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, Multi, showering, stuckony - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 19:33:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15564897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuckonylove/pseuds/stuckonylove
Summary: And under the water, they stood there, all three breathing in sync, skin to skin. It was far from sexual despite the fact that they were stark naked, and none of them felt any lust because in that moment, they were holding tight to each other, grateful that Tony was okay.





	handle with care

**Author's Note:**

> it took me like four weeks of going back to write bits and pieces of this so i hope you like it :)
> 
> -caro

It wasn't very common for the Avengers to return to the tower without a scratch. They were used to getting bruised and cut up. For them, it just kind of came with the job, but today had been different. Tony's suit had taken so many hits that the flight simulators had been partially compromised, and after they had taken all they could, he spiraled. Out of control as he fell, his mind was flooded with the flashback of Rhodey falling into the field and coming out _paralyzed_. He was terrified, falling helplessly. The g-force of free falling without a way to stop was working on his consciousness, and as he began to fade out, he felt enormous pressure on his right side. He was sure the noise he heard was bones cracking which made his head spin sickeningly. He passed out within seconds, and when he regained his consciousness, he was in his lab in Avengers Tower.

Surrounding him were all of his bots as well as Steve and Bucky (he assumed), whom he had no doubt were there to comfort him if he woke up, but there was a third person there. His hazy vision prevented him from being able to focus on any of the people stood to the side of him, and he quickly was pulled back into reality when a sharp pain drew up his right forearm and bicep all the way to the top of his shoulder.

"Agh!" he winced at the sudden reminder that something was wrong. He wasn't sure if it was Steve or Bucky who grabbed his other hand, but it was in someone's grasp as soon as he yelled.

"Tony, it's okay. They're almost done."

It was Bucky.

His vision was beginning to clear, and the silhouette of the third man was coming into view, and before long, he realized that it was Thor. That was strange. Not because he didn't think Thor cared about him and his wellbeing, but because usually Bucky and Steve were overly protective of him, and Tony was sure Thor had to beg to be in here. But why?

"Doll, are you alright?" Bucky's voice drew Tony out of his thoughts. "I think they're finished. They had to cast your whole arm up, love."

Tony's eyes cut to the right to see his arm in a cast, exactly as Bucky had said. He tried to sit up, but he was still dizzy, and Steve had to help him gain enough balance to shift his position. His torso was sore and his arm still aching. He felt disoriented, and he couldn't remember much of what had happened that day. Once he was sitting up comfortably, Steve spoke up.

"Do you remember what happened, baby?"

Tony shook his head.

"That's okay. It's not surprising." Steve was stroking Tony's left hand with his thumb. "You went down. The pressure must've caused you to pass out, and you were headed for the dirt, but Thor came in and caught you just seconds before you hit the ground. He saved you, but he hit you with enough force to break your arm in several places and bruise your ribs. It was probably the reason you stayed knocked out for so long."

"Tony, I am dreadfully sorry," Thor said, seeming afraid to speak. His usual tall and broad stature wasn't holding its form. "It's just that I had to fly so fast to get to you in time, and I wasn't abl-"

"It's okay." Tony had moved his hand from underneath Steve's and placed it on Thor's arm. It was much easier to reach from the table he was sitting on than it was when he was standing on the ground as usual. "Thank you." He gave his arm a squeeze, a weak one at that before placing it back down onto the table. Thor nodded, responding with a small smile, although still feeling terrible, and he spoke again.

"I'll leave you now, just wanted to make sure that you were okay." And within seconds he had walked out the door of the lab and up the stairs. Bucky planted a soft kiss to Tony's temple, careful to avoid the cut above his cheek.

"Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?"

Tony hadn't realized it, but he was filthy. All he had on was his pants, so on his skin where a shirt should've been, there were cuts and bruises along with patches of dirt. He dreaded getting under hot water with the number of cuts he had, but he needed to shower, so he nodded, allowing Bucky and Steve to carefully help him off of the table. He drew in a sharp breath in an attempt to brace himself for the sharp pain he knew was bound to shoot up his body. He was right.

"Woah, Tony," Steve bellowed as the two men stooped down to catch him. His legs felt like jelly, weak and wiggly. He straightened himself up as much as he could and wrapped his left arm Steve's shoulders while Bucky was to his right, avoiding putting pressure on his side and arm, and only being there to catch him if necessary. "You good?"

"Just weak, that's all," he managed to breathe out. "How long was I out?" They were walking now, and Tony felt himself beginning to regain some strength with each step.

"About 6 hours," Bucky looked as if he was still concerned. That, of course, was standard Bucky fashion. Even after his fears were denied and everything turned out okay, he continued to stress himself out about it. "We worried ourselves sick over it." It made Tony's inside's warm, not because they had to go through what they did, but because it had been a long time since someone, anyone, cared about him this way. Finding Bucky and Steve, together, at the same time, was one of the biggest blessings, if not the biggest, that Tony had ever been gifted in his life. It was an unexpected one, at that, but he took it graciously.

They had reached the top of the stairs, and Tony was feeling strong enough to remove his arm from Steve's shoulder and support himself (Bucky protested, but Steve shushed him), so they made their way to their shared room where Bucky split from them and headed to the bathroom to turn the water on. The thought of getting under that water was still making Tony wince unwillingly, but Steve once again grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, smiling down at his boyfriend. They heard the sound of water hitting the shower floor, and a few seconds later, Bucky emerged from the bathroom.

"Ready, doll?"

Tony reluctantly nodded his head before rising from the bed and following Bucky back into the other room with Steve trailing close behind.

"I've got the water running nice and hot. I know it'll sting, but it'll ease your muscles." Bucky placed his flesh hand on Tony's left arm, giving it a small knead. Tony groaned in annoyance. "You could use it." It was true, Tony's muscles were tight with stress, and he honestly felt that they could burst if he tensed them hard enough, but he didn't like when the guys felt like they had to do everything for him. Even when he needed help, he had never been one to ask for it. It made him feel weak, and if there was one thing that Tony Stark didn't want to be, it was weak. He wiped the arrogant look off of his face and forced a small smile.

"Thanks, Buck." He did appreciate it, even though sometimes he acted like an ill child. They always did so much for him, even when they didn't have to. Both of the men grinned at him, and Bucky reached for his cheek, thumbing over it, missing the cut.

"Anything you need, doll." He said gently.

Steve walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a towel for Tony, placing it on the counter for him and turning his chin towards the door in an attempt to convince Bucky to leave.

"C'mon Buck, we'll leave him alone. He's had quite a day." Steve was making his way out, and Bucky had just sighed a little too hard when Tony stopped them.

"Well I mean," His cheeks were turning a pretty shade of pink already. Was he really about to ask them this? "You _could_ stay if you want. I could use some-" he paused. Had he even ever said this before? Steve turned back to face Tony again.

"Some what, baby?"

"Some help."

 _Great_. He really let that shit come out of his mouth, didn't he? Bucky grinned at the sight of Tony getting flustered asking them to shower with him. Of course, Tony had asked them to shower with him before, but when he'd asked, his eyes had been blown wide with lust and they spent hours in there, even after the water turned cold, but Bucky knew this wasn't a sexual favor Tony was asking for. He knew because Tony's face, along with his chest now, was flushing pink, and he wouldn't make eye contact. The famous Tony "I don't need any help" Stark was asking for help in front of the two people he hated being vulnerable in front of unless they were in the bedroom of course. Steve, however, wasn't so sure.

"Are you sure, Tony?" He asked, a concerned look on his face. "I don't think you're up for that right now."

Bucky snorted.

"No, that's not what I want, Steve." Tony was even more embarrassed now. "Never mind boys. Don't worry about it." As he turned around to face the shower, Bucky turned to Steve, raising his eyebrows and giving him a pleading look. Tony didn't ask for things, so when he did, Bucky absolutely could not refuse. Steve relaxed his shoulders and nodded, approaching Tony slowly, who now had his trousers off.

"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't realize. Of course, we'll help you." Steve smiled, hoping Tony would turn back around and return the smile, to which he did. Seeing from behind Steve, Bucky felt his insides warm up at the sight of his little baby smiling. He walked up to them and wrapped his arms around Steve's waist, grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his boyfriend's head before doing the same to his own shirt and tossing them to the side. They both lost their jeans, and Tony dropped his boxers, stepping into the shower. He was careful to avoid the water, knowing his whole body would sting when got underneath it. He waited for Steve and Bucky to join him before grabbing Steve's hand with his left and bracing himself. Careful as to not let his newly casted arm get wet, he slid himself under the flow of water and Bucky pulled the curtain to.

Needles. At least that's what it felt like. The water was seeping into each cut and gash on Tony's body, making his skin crawl at the stinging sensation. He winced every few seconds, but before long he was adjusting to the feeling, and he was hurting less and less. Steve picked up on this, as Tony's grip became softer, and he could see Tony's muscles unraveling.

"Better?"

"Better."

Steve smiled, lightly kissing Tony's lips before allowing him to turn towards Bucky so he could do the same. Tony hummed with delight. He liked when both of the boys kissed him. They were better at different kinds of kisses though. Bucky was better at the hungry, sinful kisses that were saved for the bedroom while Steve was better at the sweet kisses that he was never afraid to pepper all over Tony, even in public. Yes, Steve Rogers would kill for PDA. He may have been a bit old fashion in some ways, but when it came to the public eye, he wanted his name written all over Tony for the whole world to see. No question about that.

Tony could feel both of their eyes on him, and his cheeks turned the prettiest shade of pink. Bucky giggled.

"Doll, whatcha getting embarrassed for?" He asked. "We just like lookin' at you, baby. So pretty, even if you _are_ all bruised up." He grabbed Tony's hand, bringing it up to his face, and placing his lips on Tony's knuckles, he kissed them gently. Steve raised his arms and put his hands on top of Tony's shoulders, letting his thumbs drop and rub small circles between his shoulder blades. And in that moment, standing under the stream of warm water, Tony finally allowed the tension to drain out of his body as he stood between the two, relaxing into both of their touches. 

"That's it, sweetheart." Steve kissed the back of Tony's head. "We got you." 

Tony looked behind him at Steve and smiled, and Steve swore he looked like the human version of the heart-eyed emoji. 

Bucky reached for the shelf on the wall that was scattered with different bottles and wrapped his fingers around Tony's shampoo. He popped the cap, bringing it to his nose and breathing in the familiar scent of strawberries and vanilla. Turning it up, he let some fall into his hand, and he placed the bottle back to the side before rubbing both of his hands together. Tony spun around so that Bucky could bring his hands up to Tony's head, beginning to work his fingers in his hair. He moved his fingers in circles, applying pressure and massaging every inch of Tony's scalp. Now facing Steve, Tony looked up, blushing when their eyes met. Steve planted a soft kiss on Tony's forehead, and Tony lingered there, letting his head fall against Steve's chin. Bucky continued to lather up Tony's hair, and after a few more minutes of rubbing all of the stress out of him, he tapped Tony on the shoulder. 

"You can rinse it out now, doll." Tony let Bucky shuffle by him so that he could dip his head under the water, the shampoo falling out of his hair and down his body. He winced every time some of it would run over a cut, a stinging sensation taking over. Bucky raised his hand and ran his fingers through the strands, making sure all of it was washed out. Once it was, Steve grabbed Tony's hand, shifting him back into the middle. He had already put some soap on a washcloth, and when Tony was turned back around, Steve began to gently drag it across his shoulders, washing away the dirt and grime. Careful to be extra gentle around the bruises and cuts, he washed Tony's whole body from the bottom of his neck down to his ankles, and Bucky took a clean washcloth, let it swell up with water, and began squeezing out the water over the top of Tony's back and chest, watching the soap run down his body. When all of it was gone, Bucky kissed the back of Tony's neck before snaking his hands around his abdomen and laying his chin on Tony's shoulder. Tony leaned his head against Bucky's, and Steve, as big as he was, was able to wrap his arms around the both of them, his head on the opposite shoulder. 

And under the water, they stood there, all three breathing in sync, skin to skin. It was far from sexual despite the fact that they were stark naked, and none of them felt any lust because in that moment, they were holding tight to each other, grateful that Tony was okay. Bucky pressed a few kisses to Tony's temple before reaching behind him to shut the water off. Steve lifted his head and pulled the shower curtain open, crisp air hitting the three of them and instantly making them patch up with goosebumps. 

"I'll get us some towels, okay?" Steve said, stepping out and shivering his way over to the shelves and pulling three towels down. He quickly dried his hair a bit and wrapped his towel around his waist, handing one to Bucky who was still standing in the shower with Tony. He used it to tousel Tony's hair a little drier, and carefully patted his upper body dry before wrapping it around Tony just as Steve had done. Steve threw his hand out to help Tony out of the shower, letting him lift his legs up and over the lip. 

"You can go ahead and get him some clothes," Bucky said, now drying himself off. "I'll be there in just a sec."

Tony and Steve exited the bathroom and Tony sat down on the edge of the bed, his feet still dripping water onto the floor. He watched as Steve fished through the drawers, ending up with three of his shirts and three pairs of clean boxers. He turned to walk back over to Tony, placing all the clothes on the bed except for one of the shirts, which he guided over Tony's head and onto his arms. Once Tony pushed his hands through the holes, he pulled the tail down and reached for his underwear and dropped his towel in the floor. Steve dressed himself as Tony pulled the boxers up his legs and into place. 

"You two really are the cutest." Bucky was standing in the doorway, towel around his waist. Tony giggled. Bucky walked over to the bed and slipped the shirt and boxer on, watching Tony crawl into the bed and make grabby motions with his hands towards the both of them.

"C'mere," he whined, waiting for the boys to oblige so that he could sandwich himself under the covers and in between them. Tony combed his fingers through Bucky's hair, while Steve nuzzled into the back of Tony's neck. Bucky kissed him on the nose noticing Tony's eyes drooping and his hand motions getting slower. When he finally fell asleep, Bucky moved his hand from his hair and tucked it under the covers, placing one last kiss on his forehead before closing his own eyes and joining the other two in sleep.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr @king-stony  
> :)


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